Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
US occupation · SOC 47-2152
Job titles people report: Drain Technician, Fire Sprinkler Service Technician, Pipe Welder, Pipefitter, Plumber, Plumbing Installer, Residential Plumber, Service Plumber, Sprinkler Fitter, Steamfitter
Pay and outlook
- Median annual wage, May 2025
- $63,800
- Half earn more, half earn less
- Middle half earn
- $50,190 – $85,110
- 25th to 75th percentile
- People employed, May 2025
- 465,840
- Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)
- Projected change, 2025–35
- +6.8%
- At or above the all-jobs rate (3.5% to under 7%)
- Openings a year (projected)
- 42,000
- New jobs plus replacing people who leave
- Typical education to enter
- High school diploma or equivalent
- BLS
- All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
- Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
- Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.
What the work involves
Assemble, install, alter, and repair pipelines or pipe systems that carry water, steam, air, or other liquids or gases. May install heating and cooling equipment and mechanical control systems. Includes sprinkler fitters.
Main tasks
- Shut off steam, water, or other gases or liquids from pipe sections, using valve keys or wrenches.
- Install underground storm, sanitary, or water piping systems, extending piping as needed to connect fixtures and plumbing.
- Assemble pipe sections, tubing, or fittings, using couplings, clamps, screws, bolts, cement, plastic solvent, caulking, or soldering, brazing, or welding equipment.
- Locate and mark the position of pipe installations, connections, passage holes, or fixtures in structures, using measuring instruments such as rulers or levels.
- Cut, thread, or hammer pipes to specifications, using tools such as saws, cutting torches, pipe threaders, or pipe benders.
- Lay out full scale drawings of pipe systems, supports, or related equipment, according to blueprints.
- Plan pipe system layout, installation, or repair, according to specifications.
- Review blueprints, building codes, or specifications to determine work details or procedures.
More specific O*NET® occupations under this one: Solar Thermal Installers and Technicians.
Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.
Getting in
- Typical education to enter (BLS)
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Training once hired: apprenticeship
- O*NET Job Zone 3
- Medium preparation
- Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Interests it suits
The strongest of the six O*NET interest types for this occupation, highest first. The short glosses are ours.
- Realistic: hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals
- Conventional: organising information, records and procedures
- Investigative: research, analysis and solving problems with ideas
Fields of study that lead here
From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 3 programmes to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.
Fields
Our college matcher doesn't offer this field as a major, so we can't suggest colleges for it here.
Construction Trades
- Pipefitting/Pipefitter and Sprinkler Fitter
- Plumbing Technology/Plumber
- Plumbing and Related Water Supply Services, Other
Related careers
Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.
- Boilermakers
$76,410 median · -1.8% projected
- Maintenance and Repair Workers, General
$49,590 median · +4.2% projected
- Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners
$49,880 median · +7.8% projected
- Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door
$74,340 median · +4.3% projected
- Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers
$61,010 median · +10.9% projected
- Electricians
$63,190 median · +9.2% projected
Sources
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CollegeMatcher has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET 31.0 Database · CC BY 4.0
Changes: we show the core tasks in the O*NET database with the highest importance ratings (up to eight, in that order), the top three O*NET interest types by score, and shortened Job Zone names. Titles, descriptions and task text are unchanged.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Projections, typical entry education and training: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35. Fields of study: NCES and BLS CIP 2020–SOC 2018 Crosswalk. All public domain. OEWS · Employment Projections · CIP–SOC crosswalk